House passes $1,000 tax credit for teachers who purchase classroom supplies out of pocket

HOKLAHOMA CITY – The House of Representatives today unanimously passed a measure that would provide Oklahoma school teachers some financial relief when they spend money out of pocket for their classrooms.

House Bill 2502, by House Speaker Charles McCall, would provide a $1,000 tax credit that teachers can claim for classroom expenditures and fees associated with the teacher certification process. In households with two teachers, both could claim the tax credit. The credit could be claimed for the tax year beginning January 1, 2020.

“Our teachers are spending a lot of their own money out of pocket to ensure their students have supplies, and we certainly intend to address classroom funding during the budgeting process,” said Speaker McCall, R-Atoka. “But this is one way we can get money directly into the classroom and also help those teachers recoup those costs so they don’t have to choose between their families and their students.”

House Bill 2502 passed out of the House by a vote of 96-0 and now heads to the Senate for consideration.